The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1887-07-14
Impressions Of EInpOria.

John b. Miller, brother of J. NJ.
Miller, of this city, after visit here
some weeks ago, writes as follows
in regard to Emporia in his home
paper, 1.-The Talk, - published at Anna,
Illinois:
EDITOR THE TALK:-In my last l
made very brief mention of EmpOria,
Kan. 1 have since spent some two
weeks visiting the schools of the city
and the rich farm lands in a radius of
ten miles of the city. The public
schools, headed by the Garfield High
School, are second to none that it has
ever been my good fortune to visit.
The teachers are selected on account of
their fitness for the position after the
most critical examinations. The COM
mencement exercises of the High School
were very interesting and reflect high
credit on the labors Of teachers and
pupils. Next comes the State Normal
School, located on an eminenee in the
north part of the city. The edifice is a
commodious three story structure, but
is insufficient for the growing wants of
the institution. The last Legislature
authorized the erection of an additional
wing building at an expense of $25, 600.
The work is to be completed in NOVem-
Der next. we attended various eXer-
cises at the Normal, including the COM
mencement exercises. To give proper
account of the various exercises would
require more space than / will ask you
to give. Suffice it to say that they
were very interesting and are indubita-
BILE evidence of much and well directed
study and training. Many of the ora
lions were eloquent, instructive and
covered the whole field of literature,
| science and art. AS we Deheld the
| graceful orator, followed him step by
step in his flights of eloquence, looked
| over the sea of Spell-bOund faces up
turned before him, we could not help
recalling the days gone by when we
| were pupil, a NOrmalite, in our own
dear State of Illinois, away back in the
fifties, and as we compared then and
now we were more than ever impressed
] with the fact that 1.-The world moves
| on" and that the great lever is educa
ton.
Emporia College, under the manage
ment of the Presbyterians, is flourish
ing institution, with a good and grow
ing patronage. The edifice was com
pleted last year at a cost of S75, 900.
The solid and f1ourishing condition Of
Emporia caused some wonder, and we
determined to see its environS, it farms
aud its farmers. We spent Severa
days riding in all directions round the
city, viewing the broad acres of pas
ture, oats, corn, etc. Corn is the great
staple of Kansas, and we never saw
larger fields or finer growing corn thar
we beheld in Lyon County. There i:
no waste land here. All is cultivatable
all is fertile.
There are many important features
that 1 would be glad to mention, but
for want of space must omit. The city
waterwOrks constructed several years
ago have become inadequate to the
wants of the rapidly growing city, and
there is now under construction Z
splendid system of waterworks on q
grand scale, which Will be completed
the present year, at cost of $l62, 900.
When we were small boy we read
in Webster's Elementary spelling boob
that visitors should not make thei
visits too long, and for fear of violating
this injunction we will turn our face:
toward the orient and bid farewell tt
Kansas friends, flOurishing cities ant
teeming fields.